Hot-air engine.



Patented Apr. 9, 19m.

V o. P. osrenaaeu.

HOT AIR ENGINE.

(Application mm m n, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Iodol.)

\lhl WITNESSES Patenfed Apr. 9, 19m.

1 No. 67I,526. 0. P. OSTERGBEN.

HOT AIR ENGINE.

(Application filed May 11, 1900.;

\ (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 67|,526. Patented Apr. 9, I901.

v 0. P. OSTERGREN.

HOT AIR ENGINE.

(Application med'm 11, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

I I I l i l 1 I I I L/ "3' 3 F\ Pg I '1 I I l I i I l [I WITNESSES 'm:NORRIS PETERS cow. morauma. WA$HXNGTON, n. c.

OSCAR P. OSTERGREN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE OSTERGREN PATENTOFFICE.

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

HOT-AIR ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,526, dated April 9,1901.

Application filed May 11, 1900. Serial No. 16,248. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR P. OSTERGREN, a subject of the King of Swedenand Norway, and a resident of Bedford Park, borough of Bronx, city andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHot-Air Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hot-air engines employing liquid fuel andcompressed air and burning the same in the cylinder for expansiveeffect; and the principle features of novcity are the means and mannerby which the air and fuel are mixed and admitted to theexpansion-cylinder, means of eifecting the combustion, means ofcompressing, cooling, and preheating the air, and means of storingcompressed air for use in starting and operating the engine prior to theproduction of heat necessary to the regular operation, all ashereinafter described, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal sectionof my improved engine, with a cooling attachment for the compressed air.Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the principal part of the coolingattachment detached. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a pair of engines and thecooling attachment, with one of the engines in horizontal section andparts of the compressed-air and fuel-storage tanks broken off. Fig. 4 isan enlarged detail in the same section as Fig. 1 for more clearlyrepresenting the admitting, igniting, and fuel-burning devices. Fig. 5is an enlarged end view as seen looking from the left hand of Fig. 4..

The cylinder is represented at a. It is about double the length of thestroke of the piston. The interior part 1), comprising about half thelength of the bore, is bored and fitted for coaction with the piston c.The other interior half-part d of the cylinder isslightly larger thanpart b and need not be bored or fitted. The piston c has an extension fof about the length of the unfitted part 01 of the cylinder and workingin free space therein. The piston has atrunk extension 9 of smallerdiameter than the piston and of greater-length than the length of thestroke of the piston and working in a tubular guide h, in which, likethe piston, it is to be packed for utilizing the parts on that side ofthe piston for compressing air, 4; being an induction-valve, and j aneduction-valve. The piston 0, its extension f, and trunk g arepreferably of hollow structure for economy of weight and material. Theconnecting-rod 7c is attached to a block Z, inserted in the outer end ofthe hollow trunk g and is connected to the crank m of the shaft '12, inthe usual manner.

, The cover 0 of the rear end of the cylinder a has on its exterior sidea mixing-chamber for air and oil, into which the air is supplied throughinlet-valve q, and oil is supplied through an injector s, the mixturebeing injected by the force of the compressed air through the orifice iinto a cavity u, in front of which is a ball 1; for spreading themixture and igniting it, said ball being in the location where the heatof combustion is greatest, so as to be quickly heated after the startingof the engine, and to be kept so highly heated astopromptlyignite theperiodicallyincoming jets of the fuel elements. The ball-spreader thuslocated in the cavity and the cavity being in practical conformity withthe shape of the ball and a little larger, afiords limited space betweentwo comfronting hot surfaces of a character adapted for the mostefiective spreading and distributing the oil and impingement of theparticles on the hot surfaces for ignition. The cavity to, in which theball is arranged, is formed in a boss w, supported on the inner side ofthe cover 0 by a contracted neck 00, the small size of which reducesheat-conducting material, so that less heat is wasted through the coverthan if the connection were the full size of the boss, and the ball issupported in the cavity by arms y of the ball joining the boss at themouth of the cavity. The part f of the piston has a recess a in the end,affording space for the projecting boss and ball, avoiding conflict whenthe piston moves in that direction. This extension of the ignitingbodies far into the cylinder-space and their isolation by the contractedsupporting'neck is an important element of efficiency in insuringreliability of the igniting apparatus.

The injector has a reciprocating needlevalve 2, which is opened at theproper time by a lever 3 on the rock-shaft 4., said shaft being actuatedbya cam 5 on the stem of valve q, and a lever 6 of the rock-shaft toopen said needle-valve, and a spring 7 closes it.

The oil or other liquid fuel is supplied to the injector from thereservoir 8 through thepipe 9.

Compressed air is normally supplied to the injector through valve g fromthe jacket 14, surrounding the cylinder at, through which it is causedto flow for keeping the heat of the pressor is discharged into thereservoir, from which it circulates through cooling-coils 15, whichdischarge into a collecting-header 16, and therefrom enters at 17 intothe coolingjacket 14 of the cylinder, and thence passes to the valve q,and being thus cooled before entering the jacket suitably protects thecylinder, but where water is available the cooler may be dispensed withand water employed, at least in the part of the jacket surrounding thepiston trunk guide and the part b in which the piston works, it beingstill desirable to have the ingoing air preheated, which may be done bycausing it to pass through that part of the jacket surrounding part d ofthe cylinder, for which said jacket will be suitably partitioned atabout the middle of the length of the cylinder.

The exhaust-valve 18 is located at the middle of the length of thecylinder or thereabout, Where the free space between the pistonextension f and the larger part 01 of the cylinder, terminates, so thatreturn of the cooled and expanded gases to the place of combustion, andthereby chilling the parts. as when the exhaust-valve is in the localityof the igniting parts, is prevented, which would injuriously afiect theefficiency of the engine, and the escaping gases are brought into closecontact with the cylinder-wall by passing between it and the extensionofthe piston and caused to pass in the opposite direction of thecompressed air going to the outlet-valve, so that the air absorbs moreof the heat of the escaping gases. This provision, combined with theinward extension and isolation of the igniting parts, affords additionalmeans of insuring igniting temperature.

The valves 1 q and 18 are all of the rocking type and are all coupled byrod 19 with the sliding link 20, the ends of which are respectivelycoupled to eccentrics 21 on the shaft n in the common link motiondevice, by

which the action of the valves may be varied and the motion of theengine reversed,as usual 1 with such gear. a

A funnel-mouthed filler 22 is provided for charging the fuel-reservoir 8with oil, said filler having a stop-cock 23 to retain air undercompression for feeding the oil against the pressure in the mixer, saidreservoir being in communication with the air-reservoir 10 through apipe 24:. A hand-pump 25 is provided for priming the reservoirs throughpipe 26 when they are-lacking in pressure to begin with.

If a volatile liquid is used, such as benzene or gasolene, thetemperature of the air will be sufficient for ignition; but ifkeroseueis used it will be necessary to ignite the first few charges bymeans of electric sparks, as indicated by the electric device 26 ofcommon use or by artificially heating the mixing-chamber p from theoutside.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination with the cylinder,piston, and mixing-chamber, of the ignitingcavity formed in an inwardand isolated extension of the cylinder-cover, the spreading and ignitingball located in said cavity, and means for injecting the fuel elementsonto the ball through the center of the cavity.

The combination with the cylinder, piston, and mixing-chamber, of theignitingcavity formed in an inward and isolated extension of thecylinder-cover, spreading and igniting ball located in said cavity,means for injecting the fuel elements onto the ball through the centerof the cavity, and an exhaust-valve for escape of the spent gases at theend of the range of their impelling action.

3. The combination with the cylinder and piston, of means for injectingcompressed air and oil and burning and expanding them on one side of thepiston for impelling it, an air-heating and cylinder-cooling jacketsurrounding the cylinder, means for compressing air on the other side ofthe piston, a compressed-air reservoir in connection with theair-compressing devices for being charged, and a cooler for thecompressed air in connection with said reservoir for the circulation ofthe air through it, and also in connection with the air-heating andcylinder-cooling jacket for supplying the compressed and cooled air tothe injecting devices therethrough.

4. The combination with the cylinder and piston, of means for injectingcompressed air and oil and burning and expanding them on one side of thepiston for impelling it, an air-heating and cylinder-cooling jacketsurrounding the cylinder, means for compressing air on the other side ofthe piston, a compressed-air reservoir in connection with theair-compressing devices for being 1 charged, and also in connection withthe injecting devices for starting the engine by direct action ofcompressed air, and a cooler for the compressed air in connection withsaid reservoir for the circulation of air through .it, and also inconnection with the air-heating and cylinder-cooling jacket forsupplying the compressed air through said jacket to the injectingdevices after starting.

Signed by me at New York, N. Y., this 3d day ofMay, 1900.

OSCAR P. OSTERGREN.

Witnesses:

A. P. THAYER, O. SEDGWICK.

